Refrigerator car structure



Nov.- 3, 1942. c. o. aoNsALl..

REFRIGERATOR cA'n ksTmJc'wnr: Fied Nov. 17. 1939 [n verz for Charles Da sa ll mfom Patented Nov. 3;, 1942 Unire REFRIGERATEUR CAR STRUCTURE Application November 17, 17939, Serial No. 304,985

8 Claims', (Cl. (i2-17) j The device relates to railway refrigerator cars and insulated automotive trucks used to transport perishable commodities, such as fruits, vegetables and sh, and more specifically my structure is a modification of the so-called top bunker refrigerator car disclosed and claimed in my Patent No. 2,136,999 of November 15, 1938, wherein air cooled by melting ice in a container in the upper part of the lading compartmentof the car descends through flues associated with the vertical walls of the car to a space under a foraminous, secondary iioor through Which it rises and contacts the lading, and being warmed thereby, rises to adjacent the container so that the cycle is repeated.

In such a car melted ice also descends throughv the wall flues to further cool and humidify the circulating air. .y

In the modied construction. disclosed herein l provide means to allow some of the cooled air in the flues to enter the lading compartment of the car, but at the same time prevent melted ice in the nues from being splashed through said means by the service movements of the car.

The entrance of such cooled air tothe upper part of the lading compartment may be desirable when a solid or packed load is being transported or when the circulation of the air through the lues is temporarily or partially impeded.

If an unprotected opening was provided between the flue and the lading compartment the service movements of the car, particularly the swinging and lateral movements due to rounding curves would shoot the water oif of the drip pan below the ice bunker and cause it to splash against the side of the flue and re-splash through said unprotected opening. Water on most ladings is undesirable, not only because it damages the commodity, but because water soils or otherwise mars the wrappings of the commodity.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 shows a typical refrigerator car incorporating my invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlargement of the encircled portion of Fig. 1.

Fig. 1 shows a typical top bunker refrigerator car wherein air in the cooling chamber 2 being cooled by ice in the refrigerant container 3 flows downwardly over the drip pan l into the vertical flue 5 to the space 6 below the foraminous floor 1 and being warmed by the lading rises through the air passageway 8 back to the cooling chamber 2 and repeats the cycle. Some of the walls of the container are provided with apertures so that melted ice from the container 3 flows over the drip pan 4 into the vertical flue 5 and is' drained from the car in the usual manner by water sealed drains. This water helps to cool the circulating air. and also humidiles it.

The top bunker car above described comprisesl an insulated wall I and inner wall II separating the outer wall ID from the lading compartment iii of the car and providing the flue between the -Y said walls. vThe ice container 3 is positioned. above the drip pan 4 to provide the cooling chamfv ber 2 therebetween and also to direct the cooled air and melted ice into the vertical flue. v

An opening I5 is provided in the inner Wall I I to allow cooled air from the flue 5 to enter the lading compartment.v I vprovide means to prevent water iiowing down the flue from splashing through this opening into the lading compartiment.v y A In the means shown the drip pan vlining I6 is bent to form a depending flange I'I projecting below the drip pan and positioned substantially flush with the inside or flue side of the inner wall I I so as not to decrease the effective area oi the iiue. A space is provided between the upper edge I3 of the inner wall II and the drip pan 4 which provides for air communication between the flue and the lading compartment. j n

A iiashing 20 is secured to the uppermargin of the inner wall II which comprises a depending iiange 2l secured to the flue side of the inner wall Il and a horizontal web 22 preferably resting upon and protecting the upper edge of the inner wall I i and an upstanding flange 23 in overlapped and spaced relationship with the depending flange Il of the drip pan lining. The upstand" ing flange 23 is preferably flush with the lading compartment side cf the inner wall I I so as not to decrease the volume of the lading compartment or interfere with packages being loaded to the drip pan. In my construction, water flowing downwardly in the flue cannot enter the lading compartment and furthermore water flowing down the drip pan can not splash against the insulated wall I0 and re-splash through the opening I5 into the lading compartment.

The accompanying drawing illustrates the preferred form of the invention, though it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to wall, an inner wall separating said outer wall from the lading compartment and providing a flue between said Walls, a, refrigerant container, a drip pan which directs liquid and cooled air from adjacent said container to said flue, an opening in said inner wall, a downwardly projecting flashing on the ue side of said inner wall and an upwardly projecting flashing on the lading compartment side of said inner wall, said fiashings being in overlapped spaced apart relationship so that cooled air can pass through said opening, but liquid cannot splash therethrough.

2. In a. refrigerator car having a lading compartment, the combination of aninsulated .outer Wall, an inner wall separating said outer wall from the lading compartmentA and providing a flue between said walls, a refrigerant container, a drip pan which directs liquid and cooled air from adjacent said container to said ue, said drip pan having a metallic lining bent to form a depending flange projecting below the drip pan, a space between the upper edge of the inner Wall and the drip pan to provide cold air' communication between the flue and the ladingcompartment,`r and a flashing extending upwardly from said inner wall, said flange and said flashing being in overlapped spaced. apart relationship sothat air can pass through said opening, but -liquid cannot splash therethrough.

V3. A stlucture as defined in claim l wherein saidrdownwardly projecting flashing is substantially flush with the flueside of said inner -wall so as not to reduce the effective size of said flue.

4. A structure as defined in claim l wherein said Y'downwardly projecting iiashing is substantially flush with the flue side of said inner wall so as not to reduce the effective size of said flue and said upwardly projecting flashing -is substantially flush with the lading compartment side of said inner wall so as not to reduce the size of rsaid lading compartment.

5. In a refrigerator car having a lading cornpartment, the combination of an insulated outer wall, an inner wall separating said outer wall from the lading compartment and providing a flue between said walls, a refrigerant container, a drip pan which directs liquid and cooled air from adjacent said container to said flue, said drip pan having a metallic lining bent to form a, 4depending yflange projecting below the drip pan, la space between the upper edge of the inner wall and the drip pan to provide cold air communication between the flue `and the lading coma drip pan arranged to direct liquid and cooled air from adjacent said container to said flue, an opening in said inner wall to provide air communication between the lading compartment and the fiue, a flashing on one side of said inner wall covering part of said opening, and another flashing on the other side of said inner wall covering part of said opening in unaligned relation with said rst mentioned flashing, thereby preventing splashing of liquid from said flue to said lading compartment. Y

7. In a. refrigerator car having a lading compartment, the combination of an insulated outer wall, an -inner wall separating said outer wall from the lading compartment and providing a flue between said walls, a, refrigerant container, a drip -pan arranged to direct liquid and cooled air from adjacent said container to said flue. an opening in said inner wall to provide air cornmunication between the lading compartment and the `flue, said inner wall comprising in part spaced apart flashings disposed substantially in the opposite bounding planes of said inner wall and unaligned openings in said ashings, thereby preventing splashing of the liquid from said flue to said lading compartment.

V 8. In a refrigerator car having a lading compartment, the combination of an outer wall, an inner wall separating said outer wall from the lading compartment and providing a flue between said walls, a refrigerant container, means todirect liquid and cooled air from adjacent said container to said ilue, an opening in said inner wall to provide air communication between the lading compartment and the flue, and means to prevent liquid in Asaid due from splashing through said openingcomprising a plurality of relatively thin members associated with said opening in overlapping, staggered, spaced apart relation.

CHARLES D. BONSALL. 

